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Three New Jersey Devils That Could Benefit From a Lockout

August 27, 2012, 10:05 AM ET [36 Comments]
Todd Cordell
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
While nobody wants a lockout and in more cases than not it does more harm than good, there are several players that spent time with the New Jersey Devils last season that could benefit from an NHL lockout while playing the season in Albany. In this post I take a look at who three of those players are.

Mattias Tedenby

While Tedenby has the skill set to play in the NHL, his lack of strength and questionable defense has led many to question if he's ready to play at the NHL level at this point in his career. Tedenby posted respectable numbers and reportedly improved his defensive game while in Albany for the second half of last year, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. I think it's safe to say he's worked on bulking up this summer, too, which is something the Devils want him to do.

In my opinion Tedenby could compete for a spot on the Devils NHL team and have some success this year if there is indeed a season, but in the event of a lockout Tedenby could really, really benefit from a full season in Albany. He would obviously play big minutes and be used in offensive situations there. He would be given a role and would be used in it through thick and thin. It would be Tedenby's first full season of professional hockey at the same level, too, having split his first two seasons as a pro in the NHL and AHL. As previously stated, I think he could have some success at the NHL level this year if there is a season, but a lockout, which would force him to stay in the AHL, would be very beneficial to him.

Jacob Josefson

Josefson has shown when healthy that he can play good hockey at both ends of the rink at the NHL level. With that said, he needs more playing time to take the next step in his development, whether it be just by staying healthy or by playing more minutes night-in night-out. If there is a lockout, he is eligible to play in Albany this upcoming season. There he would undoubtedly be a top-six center and he would probably find himself being used in every big situation, regardless of the circumstances. In the AHL he would have a larger role to play and he would have another year to hone his skills and grow into his body. While he is quite capable of playing at the NHL level if there is a season, a year in Albany certainly wouldn't do him any harm.

Adam Larsson


All things considered, Larsson had a good rookie year with the Devils this past season. He averaged about 20 minutes a night, didn't really look out of place and he gained some invaluable playoff experience. With that said, he has several gears he hasn't reached yet. If there is no lockout, I think Larsson will have a solid sophomore campaign. If there's a lockout and he plays in Albany, he becomes the best defenseman on the roster. He would play huge minutes, and combining what he knows from a year of NHL hockey with his skill set would make him an elite defenseman at the AHL level. Dominating at that level would obviously help his development and ready his game for what's to come in 2013-14.

Note: I wasn't certain, but after further research and in large part the help of my colleague at TheHockeyGuys.net, Tyler Altemose, I now know that Adam Henrique is waiver exempt and could play in Albany in the event of a lockout. I don't think too much needs to be said on what he could accomplish back at the AHL level. I don't know that he would benefit from it half as much as the other three listed, though.

As stated above, nobody wants a lockout and it would do more harm than good. That said, there are positives in every situation and these players, more so the first three, could all benefit from a lockout that almost seems likely.

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